1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of the play NOT THE FILM of Real Women Have Curves. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” The stasis at the beginning of the play is the women working on a very large order of dresses, in their sewing shop in Los Angeles on August 7th, 1987. The characters include Ana, the protagonist; Estella, Ana’s sister and the owner of the sewing shop; Carmen, Ana and Estela’s mother; Pancha, employee in Estella’s shop; and Rosali, the other employee in the shop. Ana is not thrilled to be working in the shop, as her mother has forced her to come help out Estela. As the play unfolds, a few dramatic situations arise. For one, Estela reveals that she is not a legal immigrant, and cannot become one because she has a criminal record. Also, the sewing shop could soon be bankrupt, and the women must work together to complete the overwhelming order in time to get paid and hopefully enable Estela to keep the shop open.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? I believe that intrusion happens when Estela reveals that she is illegally in the United States. This complicates many things for her business, as they hope no one will discover them and take Estela away, causing an atmosphere in the play that is always a little on edge.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? The unique factor is that Ana is at a vulnerable point in her life. The play takes place the summer after her high school graduation - usually a time in one’s life of closing a chapter and opening a new one by going to college and moving out, but for Ana, she feels as though she has taken three steps back, working in what she calls a “sweatshop” for her older sister.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) “Will the sewing shop survive or go bankrupt?”. “Will Ana be able to go to college?”. “Will la migra find Estela?”.
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles. Throughout the play, Ana faces off against society and social norms, also included in that is her family’s norms. For one, she is trying to decipher who she is and who she will be apart from her family’s ideals. Ideals that include being “pretty and skinny” and getting married young. She is trying to find her voice, and help the other women find their voice despite the societal pressures to be submissive and only follow their husbands.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves. The most theatrical moments are when all the women strip down to their underwear and compare their bodies, flaws and all, and when Estella is crying over her date with her “Tormento”, and when the sewing machine explodes.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) I think the most obvious and important image is of the sewing shop. It is a kind of safe haven for the women. The windows are boarded up, and they have a secret knock to enter into the shop. It keeps the outside world away from the women, who feel safe and secluded inside. They hide from la migra and they can safely watch as lo tormento is taken away. Another image that could be pointed out are the dresses. The dresses represent a standard that the women simply do not fit into (no pun intended). They, most obviously Rosali, learns to accept their bodies as they are because they learn, as the title suggests, that real women have curves. Estela’s “tormento” and his treatment of Estela symbolizes, in my opinion, how others would these five women working in the sewing shop, and what kind of societal norm they must fight against.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women. A strong theme is of self-acceptance. The women learn to accept their bodies as they are. Also, all the women learn to find their voice and stand up for themselves against societal pressures, including their husbands expectations. The women, except Estela and Ana, are learning what it means to live and accept their new status as legal immigrants in the United States.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why? Family is a large part of this play. For one, Ana would not even be working in the sewing shop if she were not related to Estella. Family is seen as a tight-knit support group, Estella relies on her mother and her sister to work for her, and even lend her money. Family extends to the other women in the play as well, as they all join together to keep one another safe, whether it’s safe from losing the sewing shop, or la migra, all the women feel responsible for each other.
1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of the play NOT THE FILM of Real Women Have Curves. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The stasis at the beginning of the play is the women working on a very large order of dresses, in their sewing shop in Los Angeles on August 7th, 1987. The characters include Ana, the protagonist; Estella, Ana’s sister and the owner of the sewing shop; Carmen, Ana and Estela’s mother; Pancha, employee in Estella’s shop; and Rosali, the other employee in the shop. Ana is not thrilled to be working in the shop, as her mother has forced her to come help out Estela. As the play unfolds, a few dramatic situations arise. For one, Estela reveals that she is not a legal immigrant, and cannot become one because she has a criminal record. Also, the sewing shop could soon be bankrupt, and the women must work together to complete the overwhelming order in time to get paid and hopefully enable Estela to keep the shop open.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
I believe that intrusion happens when Estela reveals that she is illegally in the United States. This complicates many things for her business, as they hope no one will discover them and take Estela away, causing an atmosphere in the play that is always a little on edge.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor is that Ana is at a vulnerable point in her life. The play takes place the summer after her high school graduation - usually a time in one’s life of closing a chapter and opening a new one by going to college and moving out, but for Ana, she feels as though she has taken three steps back, working in what she calls a “sweatshop” for her older sister.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
“Will the sewing shop survive or go bankrupt?”. “Will Ana be able to go to college?”. “Will la migra find Estela?”.
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
Throughout the play, Ana faces off against society and social norms, also included in that is her family’s norms. For one, she is trying to decipher who she is and who she will be apart from her family’s ideals. Ideals that include being “pretty and skinny” and getting married young. She is trying to find her voice, and help the other women find their voice despite the societal pressures to be submissive and only follow their husbands.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves.
The most theatrical moments are when all the women strip down to their underwear and compare their bodies, flaws and all, and when Estella is crying over her date with her “Tormento”, and when the sewing machine explodes.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
I think the most obvious and important image is of the sewing shop. It is a kind of safe haven for the women. The windows are boarded up, and they have a secret knock to enter into the shop. It keeps the outside world away from the women, who feel safe and secluded inside. They hide from la migra and they can safely watch as lo tormento is taken away.
Another image that could be pointed out are the dresses. The dresses represent a standard that the women simply do not fit into (no pun intended). They, most obviously Rosali, learns to accept their bodies as they are because they learn, as the title suggests, that real women have curves.
Estela’s “tormento” and his treatment of Estela symbolizes, in my opinion, how others would these five women working in the sewing shop, and what kind of societal norm they must fight against.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
A strong theme is of self-acceptance. The women learn to accept their bodies as they are. Also, all the women learn to find their voice and stand up for themselves against societal pressures, including their husbands expectations. The women, except Estela and Ana, are learning what it means to live and accept their new status as legal immigrants in the United States.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why?
Family is a large part of this play. For one, Ana would not even be working in the sewing shop if she were not related to Estella. Family is seen as a tight-knit support group, Estella relies on her mother and her sister to work for her, and even lend her money. Family extends to the other women in the play as well, as they all join together to keep one another safe, whether it’s safe from losing the sewing shop, or la migra, all the women feel responsible for each other.